


Lies That Hold Me

by momma_66



Series: Adventures in Saving the World [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: hc_bingo, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-10
Updated: 2012-02-10
Packaged: 2017-10-30 21:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momma_66/pseuds/momma_66
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons always, always lie. Sometimes they tell the truth, and they use that against you too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lies That Hold Me

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** slightly descriptive acts of torture  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own SPN  
>  **Prompt:** Written for the prompt "Confession in a Desperate Situation" on my [card](http://momma-66.livejournal.com/46563.html)

It was a straight forward case. A poltergeist haunting an old factory-turned-club. According to the information Claire and Ben were able to dig up it seemed that the soul died there during the factory's final days and was sealed up in the building, waiting until it could find someone to torment. Ben had joked with her as they made their way into the empty building in board day light (they had learned the night before that poltergeist hunting was not effective when you were too young to get in.) "Y'know, it's a good thing we don't have regular jobs. Seems like they drive everyone to be a vengeful spirit." 

Claire rolled her eyes and flicked Ben's ear. "Pay attention, dumbass."

That was an hour ago. Before shit hit the fan.

 

Their poltergeist wasn't a poltergeist at all. No, it was a demon, and this had been a trap. Claire was still kicking herself for not seeing it sooner. The factory had been open long enough and the occurrences had only started a few weeks ago; about the same time they had decided to head north. If she hadn't been hung up by her wrists she would have smacked herself. Instead she settled for glaring at Ben, equally tied up, across from her. 

"You really can't blame this on me, babe." Ben swung a little, testing out his bonds. "You didn't see it for a trap either, y'know."

Claire didn't respond, instead she took in what was around them. Obviously the demon had set up shop in this abandoned part of the factory some time ago; even with the thick layer of dust coating everything she noticed where gleaming surfaces covered a great deal of the room too. 

"You're not going to give me the silent treatment are you?" Ben stopped moving, instead he watched her closely. 

"It's a strong one, Ben." Claire watched the door, "We might need help on this one." Ben groaned. In their year of hunting together they had never once called on their respective father/parent figure. In the beginning of their relationship the two, mostly likely because of Dean's insistence, had dropped in quite frequently. Neither of them were going to forget their embarrassing first date, no one wanted their date to suddenly become a double with your dads tagging along. 

Ben had started to look skyward; a hard habit to break even when you knew your guardian angel resided on Earth, when the door of their small prison opened.

"My, oh my. What a lovely pair I have caught here; the infamous Ben Winchester and Claire Novak." Claire glared, hard. "Oh, c'mon now. I know you know this was a trap, but it's still fun. Now, play along." Claire spit at its feet and Ben upped his attempts to free himself. The demon frowned, "Now, children. I went to a lot of trouble to draw you here. It's not easy evading your daddies and place all the appropriate clues for you. But y'know? I'm the only one who's had the guts to try."

"Cause you're an idiot," Ben muttered, giving him the finger. Claire resisted rolling her eyes, of course Ben would provoke it; why had she thought any different. 

The demon had been giving Claire most of his attention; a look in his eyes that made her insides cold. But Ben with his big mouth changed that. "I'll start with you, then, Winchester." The knife appeared in his hand and Claire jerked against her bonds.

"Leave him alone!" 

It smirked at Claire over its shoulder. "No worries, Miss Novak. I will come to you very soon, but the Winchester boy isn't as strong as you; though equally feared. And anyways, isn't this what you wanted?" 

"No," Claire stammered, but the demon wasn't paying attention to her any more. No, he was focused on Ben, who was looking at Claire. 

The chuckle cut through them and suddenly the stories they heard from older hunters made sense. The reason that there was fear and awe when some of them spoke about a demon. "Oh, she hasn't told you, yet." It was the perfect imitation of sympathy; it would have fooled some. 

Ben gave the demon his own smirk, "Demons lie," he song-sang. It was a mantra his dad had taught him years ago. The knife was under his chin and Ben finally, _finally_ , looked scared. 

"We do, but we also tell the truth, sometimes." It nicked Ben's chin, a flesh wound that would heal quickly enough. "Want to know something truthful?" Claire sucked in her breath, she was ready to defend herself if this taunt went in the direction she was fearing. "You two are _feared_ ," the demon whispered it, like it couldn't quite believe that it had done something so unspeakable. It had tricked, captured and now had at its mercy the children of Dean Winchester and vessel of an angel, respectively. "No one wants to or should want to touch you. No one wants that sort of death wish hanging on their heads." Claire had its attention again, "You should know your daddy tore the ones who took your mother to shreds." 

"Good," she spit, "I'll rip a few more of you to pieces myself." 

The demon laughed. "I'm sure you will, but you'll have to lure them to you first. Right?" Claire stiffened and focused on Ben; she needed to stop falling into the demon's games. They needed to get out of there. "You knew no demon would be stupid enough to target you directly." 

"Shut up!" Claire panicked. Those awful, childish thoughts had consumed her so long ago and didn't even matter now as she had grown with Ben. "You're a liar!"

The demon whipped around, its knife pointed at Claire and a wild look in its eye. "Do not call me a liar again, Miss Novak. You _know_ I am speaking the truth." Ben looked at her over the demon and it wasn't fear or mistrust she saw there. 

No, of course, Ben Winchester had a crazy gleam in his eye. It was all the warning Claire had before Ben pulled up on his bonds and used the leverage to kick his legs out and send the demon toppling in her direction. She had a second to lift her own body and wrap her legs around its neck. With a quick twist she felt the thin bones in the neck snap under her pressure. She released it and sent the demon flying back toward Ben who got a good kick the the head in before the demon regained his balance and held them still with his power. 

The demon laughed, wiping blood from its mouth and settled the broken neck best as he could. "Well, let's make no mistake, you two are everything the rumors make you out to be." And that was all the warning they received before the knife was embedded in Ben's shoulder. He didn't scream but his face contorted and sharp breathing filled the room. "Now," Claire could see it, the demon was done playing with them. It was time to break its toys. "I am going to ask questions and you Miss Novak will answers them truthfully. Every time you lie I will hurt Winchester here, got it?" They both nodded. "Good. Miss Novak, do you or do you not plan on using Winchester to find demons for you to kill?"

"No..." The knife twisted painfully as the demon removed it. "Not anymore," she rushed.

Ben's head snapped up, "What?" The response delighted the demon.

"Now we'll get some where. Miss Novak would you let poor Ben die at the hands of a demon?"

Of course the answer was no, even before, even when she'd still had the thoughts in her head she knew she was never going to let anything bad happen to Ben. Never. She hesitated a moment to long, "No."

"Lie!" It buried the knife deeply in the uninjured shoulder. 

"No! It's not, I'm not lying." Claire pulled at her bonds. "I'm going to kill you!" The demon whipped around to face her. Ben hung limp, blood soaking his shirt. "When I'm finished you'll wish death was your salvation." The demon stared at her, eyes wild with the prospect that he had them here stung up like pigs and no one was going to find them. It was the manic glint that drew her in. 

It laughed, "You're such a cocky little bitch. You've killed a few dozen evil things in your short pathetic life and it makes you think you're a god. You befriended Winchester thinking it would bring the demons to you; they are not so stupid to fight that boy either. And then, you foolishly fall in love with him." The demon ran the knife along Claire's cheek, soft enough not to damage but it did leave Ben's blood smeared where it touched. "And now you care so much and forgot sight of your goal. Well, here it is."

Claire promised a long time ago she wouldn't show weakness. Not in front of the things she hunted or Ben; who was always so strong for her, but Ben had broken that defense a long time ago and Claire wasn't going to act now. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "Leave him alone, please." She struggled and wished the demon would just hurt her already so Ben wouldn't be suffering alone. 

He raised his head weakly, like he could hear that stray, suicidal thought. Ben looked at her, his own face stained and she could see where the blood was still dripping from the more damaged wound. "It's okay," he whispered. "We're going to get out of this." Claire laughed weakly, of course. Her boy scout love just wouldn't go into a fight without informing his dad. The second they dropped off the radar they had come running for them. 

The demon realized his mistake an hour too late. Claire didn't get to see they come in a kick the demon's ass straight back to Hell. Claire was the novelty trophy and Ben the Big Buck, but the cut across her torso and the back hand did knock her out.

 

"Ben!" She wrenched herself into a sitting position, and he was right there soothing her down. Big hands ran over her shoulders and arms, words of comfort, soft and sincere close to her ear. Claire pulled his hands away and did her own exploring, but found that his and her injuries had all been healed. She looked up to find Castiel and Dean both standing in the room. She pulled the blanket around her a little tighter and really hoped it was Ben that dressed her in the clean clothes she wore.

Dean clapped his hands, giving them a big grin. "Well, if you two can handle it from here we'll just be a few rooms down. C'mon Cas," Dean had to pull on the angel's arm twice to get him moving.

But Castiel did not remove them directly from the room. Instead he came up to the bed and with a sharp glare quickly dispelled Ben from Claire's side. "I know you are afraid." Claire tried to shake her head, she didn't want to have this conversation at all, least of all with Castiel and Dean in the audience. "They cannot hear me. I know you are afraid, but Ben loves you and will forgive you."

"He shouldn't," she blurted.

"Be that as you may think, Ben will forgive you." There was a moment of hesitation before Castiel hugged her. "I am very thankful that you are okay. I do not want to lose you." Claire hugged back and from Ben and Dean's faces she knew that they had at least seen and heard that much. They were gone with the flutter of wings.

Ben stood across from her and she couldn't bring herself to move from the bed. "I'm sorry," she managed to get out, even though she could feel her throat closing and her eyes were starting to burn. "I'm sorry." He crossed to her finally and without hesitation he had his hands on her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry."

"It'll be okay."

"Not today."

"No," Ben confirmed. "Not today. I love you Claire, I love you and we have a lot to talk about. But tonight, I just want to sleep with you by my side and know that Dad and Cas are just a few doors down and nothing is going to be bursting through that door." Claire finally noticed then, with Ben's hands resting gently on her shoulders that a fine tremor ran through him. Ben was scared and exhausted and still the only place he wanted to be was with her.

She nodded. "Okay, I can do that." Ben smiled and kissed her lips. She shuddered knowing things could have gone so much worse, but instead she was getting another night. Another chance to start over and try things the right way.


End file.
